


It's Not My Fault. It Can't Be My Fault.

by CheshireChett



Category: Tangled: The Series (Cartoon)
Genre: Intrusive Thoughts, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-09 00:13:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15255159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheshireChett/pseuds/CheshireChett
Summary: When he is put in jail, Varian gets intrusive thoughts and nightmares.





	It's Not My Fault. It Can't Be My Fault.

Varian paced in his cell, still agitated from the events last night. He wasn’t as agitated today. His energy was slowly depleting, and for the first time in a while, he thought about sleep. He stopped and glanced up at the cell window. He looked down at the light the sun cast on the stone floor. It’s about 3 in the afternoon. He’s slept at odder times. Exhaustion fell on him like a heavy blanket, and he went over to his bed, climbed into it and almost immediately went to sleep.

 

_It was dark. The only thing emitting light were the vials he had tied to a branch. He waved the staff, straining to see in front of him, but there was nothing._

 

_A movement caught the corner of his eye, and he turned toward it, shining the vials toward the area where he saw the movement. Another movement appeared to his right. He turned toward that, now becoming a little more alert. He wanted to cry out, to ask who, or what was there._

 

_“Poor little Varian,” a slithery voice cooed. It came from behind him. Varian spun around, pointing the end of his staff in that direction._

 

_“Who’s there?!” he finally shouted._

 

_“You couldn’t save your own father,” the voice said. Something moved passed the boy. His eyes followed it._

 

_“I can and I will!” Varian exclaimed. A breathy chuckle came from his left._

 

_“Did you hear that?” A different, high pitched voice laughed. “He says he can save his father!” A chorus of laughter sounded all around him._

 

_“B-but I can!” he retorted. The laughter died down to fits of giggles._

 

_“How can you undo something you’ve done?” the first voice asked. “You’ve tried, and you failed.”_

 

_“No.” Varian shook his head. “It’s not my fault! It’s Ra-“_

 

_“_ **_It’s your fault_ ** _,” several voices growled. Varian was taken aback._

 

_“N-no,” he stammered, “it’s not-“_

 

_“You trapped him.”_

 

_“You’re not smart enough to free him.”_

 

_“Shut up.”_

 

_“He’s never getting out.”_

 

_“Shut up!”_

 

_“He’ll never be proud of you.”_

 

_The voices are circling him, laughing. Laughing at him._

 

_“Stop it,” he whimpered._

 

_“Aww, you gonna cry?”_

 

_“You miss your daddy?”_

 

_“If you loved him, why would you disobey him?”_

 

_“You’re selfish.”_

 

_“How could you do this?”_

 

_Varian covered his ears, wanting so much to block them out. But their voices just penetrated his head, getting louder, more vicious._

 

_“What kind of person are you?”_

 

_“I think I can answer that! He’s pathetic.”_

 

_Laughter._

 

_“Weak.”_

 

_More laughter._

 

_“I’m not weak!”_

 

_“Then stop crying.”_

 

_“Get out of my head!”_

 

_“Or what? You’ll encase us, too?”_

 

_The laughter heightened._

 

_“None of this would have happened if you’d have just been a good boy and listened to daddy.”_

 

_“It should’ve been you in the rock.”_

 

_“No.”_

 

_“Things would’ve been soooo much better if you were the one in the rock.”_

 

_“All you do is screw up.”_

 

_“I don’t!"_

 

_“You’re a screw-up.”_

 

_“I’M NOT!”_

 

_“It’s nothing but one disaster after another with you. I don’t get how daddy puts up with you.”_

 

_“He does because he loves me!”_

 

_“Does he?”_

 

_“Has he ever actually said so?”_

 

_“I-“_

 

_“He hasn’t, has he?”_

 

_“He doesn’t love you.”_

 

_“No, he does-“_

 

_“_ **_He doesn’t_ ** _.”_

 

_“No one loves you.”_

 

_“How could they?”_

 

_“You’re a failure.”_

 

_“A villain.”_

 

_“_ **_It’s your fault_ ** _.”_

 

_Varian gripped his head and curled up into a ball. It’s not his fault! It’s Rapunzel’s! The kingdom’s! He’s not at fault!_

 

_“It’s not my fault!” he screamed._

 

_“Aww, poor baby is in denial.”_

 

_“I’m not! And I’m not a baby!”_

 

_“The poor, wittle, denying baby.”_

 

_“Stop it!”_

 

_“What’s the matter?”_

 

_“Miss your daddy?”_

 

_“Daddy’s not coming back.”_

 

_“You made sure of that.”_

 

_“No, it was an accident!”_

 

_“_ **_You failed him_ ** _.”_

 

_“No!”_

 

_Varian pushed his hands against his ears again, trying once more to block them out. This has to be a bad dream. He just has to wake up. Wake up!_

 

 

Cassandra was assigned to guard the prisoners that day since the princess and her buffoon boyfriend were following the rocks. Her dad had specifically assigned her to Varian, but she had to be discrete about it. Varian had fallen asleep a few seconds ago. She was kind of glad because the kid had been through a lot. He looked like he needed rest. Cassandra stopped in front of the young alchemist’s cell and watched him. He looked peaceful. The kid flipped over, his face visible to her. The alchemist’s mouth twitched a bit. He must be talking to someone in his sleep. She continued watching him, being sure that she was counting the time until she has to patrol this hallway again. 

 

Varian’s eyebrows twitched down into a frown but only briefly. His face twitched a little more before he flipped over again. He started grunting and every so often the phrase “I’m not” would escape his lips. 

 

Five minutes were up, and Cassandra marched down the hall. She didn’t get to the end of the hall when she heard shouts coming from the other end. She raced to the cell to find Varian thrashing around in his sleep, yelling and screaming. 

 

“No! NO, stop it! It’s not my fault!” The lady-in-waiting grabbed for the keys.

 

“Varian!” she called. “Varian, hang on.” She fumbled with the keys a little and inserted the correct key into the cell door. She quickly opened and entered the cell, heading right to the boy’s side. She kept a distance so that she wouldn’t get hit by his flailing arms. He screamed.

 

“Varian!” She has to act now. She grabbed his wrists and held them down. He struggled, his eyes still shut. Cassandra gathered his wrists into one hand and used her other hand to shake him. 

 

“Varian!” she called, “Varian, wake up! Wake up, Varian!” 

Immediately, his eyes snapped open, and he quickly sat up, looking around in bewilderment. 

 

“It’s no-it’s not my fault,” he panted. “It’s not. It’s not.” 

 

“Varian.” 

 

Upon hearing the familiar voice, he turned to Cassandra, eyes still wide with terror. 

 

“Wh-“ he started. “Cassandra, what-“

 

“You were having a nightmare,” she explained. “You were screaming in your sleep.”

 

He calmed down, scowled and yanked his wrists out of her hand. 

 

“I’m fine now,” he said. “You can go.”

 

“Varian-“

 

“I _don’t_ want to talk about it.” He turned his back to her. “Not with you. _Especially_ not with you.” Cassandra’s heart sank a little. He may have done horrible things last night, but he was still a kid. He was still the same alchemist she met months ago. That happy-go-lucky alchemist was still in there. She knew this. It’s just going to take a while for him to resurface.

 

“Alright,” she finally said with a sigh. She stood up and headed to the cell door. Before she left, she turned back to him. “Let me know when you’re ready.” Cassandra exited the cell, closed and locked the door. 

 

“Yeah, as if,” Varian muttered as he laid back down. 


End file.
